“High school student Kei Nagai is struck dead in a grisly traffic accident, but immediately revives to learn that he may not be like every other human. Instead, he may be a mysterious, almost immortal being, granted not only the powers of rejuvenation, but the abilities to see supernatural beings. Scared, he runs away, and is aided in his escape from society by his friend. Unfortunately for Kei, the manhunt is on and he will soon be caught within a conflict between mankind and others like him as they prepare to fight a new war based on terror.” – Goodreads

Now, I know what you may be thinking – how can one recommend a book that’s mostly pictures? Well, have you heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”? The same could be applied to this book, and this summarizes my thoughts when I first laid eyes on the imagery in this graphic novel.

I can’t deny that I had ended up binge-watching the Netflix TV series “Ajin” that was based off of this graphic novel series, before reading the manga. But it was the way the characters and the story were written that compelled me to delve further, learn about the manga, and read on. The main character, Kei, is somewhat of an anti-hero – he doesn’t really want to save the day, but rather, he wants to save his own skin. He has some light morals, but after he has learned of his “immortal powers” – the ability to regenerate after death – he begins to change. What I found so fascinating about Kei was how he approaches scenarios so practically. Some may find him cold, and distant, and while that may be true, his logical mind made him an interesting character to follow.

I also should add that these “demi-humans”, or “Ajin”, according to this series, are a very fascinating idea. These Ajin go through life, not knowing they’re immortal, until an unfortunate event happens. From that moment on, they’re hunted by the government for testing, and hunted by other Ajin. It’s a neat, modern spin on a supernatural genre. The artwork in this graphic novel is also amazing – I’ve read a manga here and there, but the darkness that these images contain portrays the mood fantastically in comparison to the TV series.

All in all, if you enjoy Manga, the supernatural, and dark twists that expose a human’s true nature, then this series is definitely for you. Give it a try – you’d be surprised at how fast it might suck you in.